13 Powerful ‘Which Hand Routines’ Every Magician Should Know

Hello my friend!

Before playing cards were invented, before coins existed, and long before rabbits were domesticated…

…what do you think was the very first magic trick?

Our money is on the Which Hand effect.

We like to think that, even thousands of years ago, our ancestors were putting rocks in their hands and asking each other which hand was holding the object.

We’re probably wrong.

But it’s undeniable that the Which Hand effect is an incredibly simple idea…

The spectator hides an object in one of their hands…but the magician ALWAYS knows where it is.

It’s so simple, so direct, and will absolutely destroy audiences when done well.

Well, last month, we decided to learn every single Which Hand routine we could find on the internet.

With the exception of routines that are out-of-stock or no longer available to purchase, we bought, studied and performed every single Which Hand effect on the market and…

Mercilessly butchered it down into the TEN most fooling Which Hand routines

For 168 hours, we lived, breathed, slept and snored Which Hand routines.

While we did so, we also set ourselves ANOTHER challenge:

To create our very own original Which Hand effect by the end of the 7 days!

To our surprise, by the end of the challenge, we had devised not one but…3 ‘Which Hand’ routines!

You can preview and purchase our original ‘Which Hand’ routines HERE

Our Top 10 ‘Which Hand’ Routines:

Pick 10: Quarterly Report by Rick Lax

Rating: 2.75/5

PRO: This routine is fun to perform, and has the potential to be exciting for the audience if the delivery is done well.

CON: For a $15 dollar investment we don’t think this trick lives up to the hype. It’s not the type of trick that sends people reeling in their seats. This one really didn’t hit for Jacob!

Pick 9: Player by Jose Prager

Rating: 3/5

PRO: This is a fast routine that is really fun to watch and perform. It’s very simple; all you need is a ball of paper!

CON: First of all I just want to make it clear that this trick isn’t anything extraordinary and won’t rock you’re world (or the spectators)! It also only took two minutes of thinking before Jacob figured this trick out, so there’s a good chance your audience would too!

Pick 8: Hands Down by The Other Brothers

Rating: 3.5/5

PRO: I liked this trick more than I thought I would, (although I’m not sure why I wasn’t prepared to be a big fan of it)! We both really enjoyed how well it played in performance.

Con: We personally found the central concept to be a little gimmicky.

Number 7: Manoeda by E.E

Rating: 3.75/5

PRO: This was a really clever principle and has the potential to be very impressive. (Unfortunately there are several paths this trick can take and the one I did on Jacob was probably the least compelling)!

CON: The path this routine went down felt a little procedural and left Jacob feeling more puzzled than fooled.

Number 6: Sense (First Phase) by Ollie Mealing

Rating: 4/5

This effect happened to kick off the whole project to begin with because when Jacob performed it on me I had no idea how it was done and in the process of trying to figure it out, came up with a different method. Made me realise how fun Which Hand Routine’s are!

PRO: One awesome aspect to this effect is that you can literally just do it impromptu with anyone’s deck. No marked cards. No gimmicks. It’s very direct & very strong. The concept is sound & the method is invisible!

CON: The only problem with this is that it doesn’t really have a big kick to it, or climb in anticipation but to be fair in the original sense it’s not designed to be a standalone, but part of a wide routine.

Number 5: Guess Which Hand

Rating: 4/5

PRO: Overall, very fun. he effect this week this effect could be really impressive in the hands of a master. Really enjoyed the trick and really enjoyed learning it.

CON: I could tell that sleights were in play but considering Jacob had only learned in the space of a few day’s it has the potential to be invisible at the hands of a master! This trick is more difficult and a greater time investment to learn than the other’s I’ve mentioned so far (but that’s not necessarily a bad thing)!

Number 4: Overlooked by Arthur

Rating: 4.25/5

PRO: Of all the Which Hand routines we’ve gone through so far this was the first one where I was like…Wow. That was a really cool, solid routine! It’s clean, fun and entertaining!

CON: Personally this routine wasn’t my style but I still think it’s a really decent routine!

Number 3: Tequila Hustler Deluxe

Rating: 4.5/5

PRO: This routine is really strong and impressive. We didn’t find any flaws in it and found it to be very fooling!

CON: This routine is on the more expensive side but if you’re going to invest you’re money into a Which Hand Routine, than this is one of the few we would actually recommend!

Number 2: V2 by Manos

Rating: 4.75/5

PRO: We thought this routine was really strong, and it is definitely one of our favourites! (We believe that in the right hands this effect could be extremely powerful)! Very fooling too!

CON: Again this routine is on the more expensive side but if you’re going to invest you’re money into a Which Hand Routine, than this too, is one of the few we would actually recommend!

Number 1: Which Hand Method by Timon Krause

Rating: 5/5

PRO: We both love this Which Hand routine! It’s very interactive and as pure as a Which Hand routine can get!

Highlights:

*The cool thing about this Which Hand routine is that you can have a high degree of confidence that you are going to get the result that you want.

*Doesn’t rely on gimmicks, magnets, sensors, word play, or writing things down.

*It’s so clean, so simple and so awesome.

*It’s also one of those routines where when you find out the method and you’re completely satisfied by the method. The method is just as exciting as watching the performance itself.

This is by far the best Which Hand routine on the market!

If you want to read more about this routine check out our full guide on Timon Krause and his legendary Which Hand routine!

Timon Krause: The ‘Which Hand’ Wizard

The Which Hand Project

Effect 1: The Witch Hand

Here’s what this effect looks like…

You show your spectator three objects—coins, dice, and playing cards.

This routine consists of three phases.

Phase 1:

The spectator uses the result of a random coin toss, performed while you look away, to place that very same coin in one of their hands behind their back. You also place a coin in one of your hands.

When both of you open up your hands, the coin is in the same hand!

Phase 2:

The spectator rolls a die while your back is turned and, based on the random result, places a die in one of their hands behind their back. You also place a die in one of your hands.

When you both open up your hands, not only are the dice in the same hand—both die are showing the same number!

Phase 3:

The spectator deals down cards and stops when they like. They take their card, fold it up and place it in one of their hands behind their back.

The spectator then freely picks a card from a different deck and gives it to you, and you do the same.

When you both open your hands, not only is the folded card in the same hand—the cards, impossibly, are the same!

‘The Witch Hand’ is, as far as we know, a completely original and revolutionary reworking of the Which Hand idea.

Here’s the best part:

Zero gimmicks (uses normal dice, coins, and playing cards)
Everything is examinable (no need for any hasty ‘clean up’)
100% hit rate (each outcome is completely guaranteed)
No questions asked or logic puzzles employed (everything feels as fair as we could make it)
Contains original sleights we have never seen before (that we’ll be using in many more routines)
Surprisingly easy to master! (when Benji taught this to Jacob, he picked it up in one short session)

Effect 2: ‘Influencer’

Influencer is a super clean Which Hand routine using a single coin.

This effect uses classic principles explored by other mentalists such as Mark Eldson and Manos Kartsakis, but frames them in a new way that we think is very deceptive and feels impossible.

Here’s how the spectator will remember this effect…

Your back is turned the whole time. The spectator feels like they can switch hand as many times as they want. You don’t ask them any questions. Yet at the end of it…

…you not only know which hand it’s in but can tell them all their choices, including whether the coin is showing heads or tails!

You ask zero questions (we personally prefer Which Hand plots that don’t rely on asking a series of questions before we get to the reveal)
No guesswork (this will hit every time)
You reveal not just which hand the coin is in…but whether it is heads or tails! (and a ‘bonus’ piece of information the spectator only THOUGHT about)
Works with imaginary objects (if performed AFTER other Which Hand plots, this routine can ‘cancel out’ the other methods the spectator may be imagining)
You don’t need to present the routine as ‘truth teller vs liar’
Works over zoom or other virtual settings!

Effect #3: ‘RB’

The spectator shuffles a deck of cards.

They freely choose any one red card and any one black card.

They then switch the position of the cards as many times as they like.

You ALWAYS know where the red card and black card are.

This routine makes for a great opener or first phase in an ‘out of this world’ routine, or even a ‘colour divination’ effect.

This effect:

Requires zero sleight of hand
Is incredibly clean (can be repeated as many times as you like and the method will remain just as invisible)
Does not use a marked deck
Easy to pick up (you’ll have all the knowledge to start performing this within minutes of watching the tutorial)

Bonus 1: Video Walkthrough of ‘Guess Which Hand’ by C. James Mclemore and the full pdf of Modern Coin Magic by Bobo ($10 value)

Inside Modern Coin Magic by Bobo is a fun effect using a Which Hand style presentation called ‘Guess Which Hand’ by C. James Mclemore.

Here’s the description of the effect, from Mclemore himself:

The performer takes the coin in his right hand, closes both hands into a fist, holds them about a foot apart and asks the spectator to touch the hand he thinks is holding the coin. The spectator is never right, or always right-at the discretion of the performer.

The routine is continued for six or eight guesses, then the spectator is permitted two guesses. Still he fails to find the coin unless the magician desires.

When a final choice is allowed the spectator fails to find the coin in either hand because it has vanished.

When you purchase the Witch Hand Project, we’ll provide you with a video walkthrough of our handling of this classic routine.

We’ll also throw in a PDF of Modern Coin Magic, perhaps THE most influential coin magic book ever written.

Bonus 2: Bonus Notes including ideas from Ollie Mealing and Danny Goldsmith ($10 value)

This bonus contains…

Notes on a clever way you could modify and enhance the routines included in this project using a well-known magic product

Some ‘napkin scribble’ ideas from Danny Goldsmith on alternate presentations of ‘The Witch Hand’

A genius alternate method for RB kindly provided by Ollie Mealing (including a video walkthrough)

Now, here’s the deal.

This bundle contains around $50 worth of magic.

However, we’re offering it to you for $24.99!

If, after 5 years of successful performances, you have one bad experience with this effect and think to yourself ‘man, I can’t believe I paid those guys at The Daily Magician for this’, you can reach out and receive a full refund, no questions asked.

Click Here To Purchase The Which Hand Project

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